Germany under pressure: CDU wants to bring tanks back from Qatar
Created: 01/16/2023 15:39
By: Vincent Bussow
Several NATO countries want to supply battle tanks to Ukraine - and are putting pressure on the federal government.
Meanwhile, Moscow is unimpressed.
Visit to Berlin:
Poland's head of government wants to talk about the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Battle tanks:
Great Britain puts the federal government under pressure with announced delivery in the Ukraine war
Kiesewetter:
CDU foreign politician calls for Cheetah tanks to be bought back from Qatar in order to deliver them to Ukraine
+++ 15:39:
The international pressure on Germany to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine is growing.
Before new talks about Western military aid, which are to take place on Friday at the US base in Ramstein, several decision-makers commented on the cautious role of the federal government.
Estonia's Foreign Minister Reinsalu said on Estonian radio on Monday: "For Germany, the decision to provide offensive weapons has particular political weight.
But the paradigm has to change so that Ukraine can not only defend itself, but gain the upper hand.”
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg spoke to the
Handelsblatt
on the subject.
When asked whether Germany needed to move now, he replied: "We are in a crucial phase of the war.
We see fierce fighting.
It is therefore important that we equip Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win. ”Poland's Prime Minister Morawiecki also called on the federal government around Olaf Scholz to end the hesitant action (see update from 11.27 a.m.).
The pressure on the federal government to supply Olaf Scholz with battle tanks to Ukraine is growing.
(Archive photo) © Marcus Brandt/dpa
+++ 1:02 p.m .:
In view of the planned delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, Russia is unimpressed.
"These tanks are burning and will burn," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday (January 16).
According to him, the long-discussed arms deliveries do not change anything about Russia's military approach.
"The military special operation will continue," he said.
The plans would "only prolong this story".
So far, Great Britain and Poland had announced that they would supply battle tanks to Ukraine.
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Dispute over tank deliveries: Morawiecki travels to Berlin for talks
Update from Monday, January 16, 11:27 a.m .:
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wants to make the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine an issue during his visit to Berlin.
He confirmed this before leaving on Monday.
The important thing is to stop hesitancy and focus on real support, he said.
He wants to talk to representatives of various parties about this.
Poland had already announced last week that it wanted to deliver Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine itself.
However, Germany also plays a key role here, since the military equipment is produced here.
Morawiecki admitted that Berlin would therefore first have to approve a Polish delivery to third parties.
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First report from Monday, January 16, 10:05 a.m.:
Kiev / Berlin – The pressure on the federal government to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine is growing.
France had recently pushed ahead with the delivery of armored personnel carriers, after which Germany followed suit.
Now it is the British who are putting the remaining NATO partners under pressure.
In just 14 weeks, Great Britain wants to send Challenger 2 main battle tanks to the war-torn country to defend itself against Russia.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wanted to "encourage allies" to launch their planned 2023 support for Ukraine "as soon as possible for maximum impact."
Tanks for Ukraine: CDU politician calls for the return of tanks from Qatar
In Germany, the discussion about the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks is further fueled by this initiative.
Over the weekend, the Ukrainian ambassador Oleksii Makeiev urgently appealed to the federal government to initiate the relevant processes quickly.
However, the armaments group Rheinmetall pointed out that it would take about a year to repair old Leopard 2 tanks.
The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter is therefore looking elsewhere for military equipment.
He is now demanding the return of tanks delivered by Germany to Qatar for use in Ukraine, he told the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
on Monday.
This is not the Leopard 2, but an anti-aircraft tank of the Qatar type.
"The cheetah has proven itself in action," said Kiesewetter.
"We should do everything that can contribute to Ukraine's victory." (vbu with dpa/afp)
